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Dread Necromancer
Dread necromancy is not a field of magic that is normally possible for a Faerûnian mortal to learn. In order to take up this dark art, a mortal must be exposed to a dark ritual or aura of death powerful enough to corrupt her soul. In the Year of the Coven (595), a group of four mages specializing in necromancy performed just such a ritual. These wizards were a macabre human aristocrat from Alaghôn in Turmish known as Levanst Karlbach, a beautifully wicked half-elven sorceress called Shedylain Leifenair from the Chondalwood, a renegade drow wizard-assassin known as Prin'Thal Flith'Krysthin from Undraeth, and a mysterious half-orc tribal shaman known as Yubaaren Whitehands from the Orsraun Mountains. Beseeching their dark patrons -- Bhaal, Talona, Kiaransalee, and Yurtrus respectively -- they performed a ritual known as "the deadening." This took place in a network of magically hidden underdark tunnels somewhere between present-day Westgate and Teziir. It is unknown if the deities had to cooperate to make the ritual successful, but after it was completed, the four mages became dread necromancers. After completing the ritual, the four necromancers began to escape the mortal bonds that had restricted them in life. They opened a small academy known as Darkbrantch in the tunnels, where they passed on the secret of their magic to brilliant young spellcasters. They discovered that subsequent generations did not need to undergo the ritual. As long as they were taught by one who had undergone the ritual or one who had achieved lichdom by reaching the pinnacle of the class, they could study dread necromancy. After some time, all four of the founders reached the pinnacle of their abilities, soon to undergo the transformation to become liches. In the Year of the Kindly Lich (606), Levanst Karlbach had second thoughts about his transformation. During his time teaching at the school, he became disillusioned with the faith of Bhaal and the notion of eternal undeath. He found the religions of the other founders equally loathsome and began to distance himself from the affairs of the school. In Myrtul of 606, he attempted to leave the school, bringing with him the brightest students who were of like mind. Having sensed his doubts, Levanst's colleagues were prepared for what they considered his betrayal. Fearing that he would expose their school or disseminate their secrets, they attempted to destroy him and his followers. In a devastating battle that shook the earth above, the four necromancers threw every spell they knew at each other, inflicting plague, summoning undead, releasing catastrophic necromantic energies, and worse. Realizing that this was a battle that could not be won, Levanst ordered his undead giant centipedes to bring down the tunnels, killing all who remained. Before the school was destroyed, however, a number of supporters from each of the four factions escaped into the world above. In the centuries that have passed since the destruction of Darkbrantch, the survivors of the school have spread across Faerûn. They have selected pupils to learn the secrets of dread necromancy, happy to retreat into their crypts, graveyards, and mausoleums, contemplating death and lichdom. One recent student, however, has not been content to contemplate and retreat. Ahrdaun Vensestra is obsessed with the legacies of the four founders. He sought out their magical heirlooms and even searched for lost Darkbrantch. Eventually, he found the school and uncovered the secrets within. It is unclear what he plans to do with the knowledge and power accumulated in the long-abandoned tunnels in the Dragon Coast, but it is unlikely to please the Draeven (folk of the Dragon Coast). Other, similar rituals have been performed, allowing their practitioners to become dread necromancers. It's likely that other methods exist. Worshippers of the gods of death and decay continually work to expand their macabre powers. For those wishing to use the lore without importing the class into their game, here is a simple alternative. Necromancy specialists and sorcerers with a penchant for death magic can easily replace dread necromancers in Darkbrantch or any similar order. The ritual they perform could give them the knowledge necessary to become liches or vampires or to achieve some other dark magic. The Deadening The Deadening is a ritual that requires the sacrifice of three virgins who have dedicated their lives to a god of good such as Lathander, Mielikki, or Lurue. The virgins are killed in an elaborate ceremony involving numerous ritual implements and highly complex incantations. In the end, the bodies of the virgins are sprinkled with the blood of a freshly slain unicorn. They are taken to a cemetery dedicated to a god of light and interred, desecrating the burial grounds. Each participant must expend 1,000 XP and loses one hit point permanently. Class Role: Dread Necromancers violate and destroy enemies with vile magic and raise undead minions to support themselves and their parties. Capable of many different tactics, from ranged caster, horde-controller, or melee combatant, the Dread Necromancer can fulfill several different roles in a party or function capably as a solo champion of Undeath (villain). Alignment: Any non-good. Hit Die: d6 'Class Skills '(2 + Int modifier per level): Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Disguise, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge(arcana), Knowledge (religion), Profession, and Spellcraft. BAB: Poor (as a Sorceror) Saves: Fortitude - Poor, Reflex - Poor, Will - Good (as a Sorceror) Spell Progression: As a Sorceror numerically, with a set spell list and all spells known. Class Features The following are the class features of the Dread Necromancer. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Dread Necromancers are proficient with all Simple Weapons and one Martial Weapon of their choice. The choice of Martial Weapon is made when taking the first level of Dread Necromancer and cannot be changed. Dread Necromancers are also proficient with light armor, but not with shields. The somatic components required for Dread Necromancer spells are simple, so members of this class can cast Dread Necromancer Spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. She still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells derived from other classes. In addition, if a Dread Necromancer wears medium or heavy armor, or uses a shield, she incurs the same chance of arcane spell failure as any other arcane caster if the spell in question has a somatic component. Spells: A Dread Necromancer casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the Dread Necromancer's spell list (see below). Like a Sorcerer, she can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. When a Dread Necromancer gains access to a new level of spells, she automatically knows all the spells for that level given on the Dread Necromancer's spell list. Dread Necromancers also have the option of adding to their existing spell list through their Advanced/Eclectic Learning ability as they increase in level (see below). To cast a spell, a Dread Necromancer must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Dread Necromancer's spell is 10 + the spell's level + her Charisma modifier. Like other spellcasters, a Dread Necromancer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given above. In addition, she receives bonus spells for a high Charisma score. *Power over Undead: At 1st level You receive Command undead as a bonus feat. You can command undead a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. You cannot use Channel Energy (gained at level 3) to power this feat. You can take other feats to add to this ability, such as Extra Channel and Improved Channel, but not feats that alter this ability, such as Elemental Channel and Alignment Channel. If you do so, such feats apply to either this ability or your Channel Energy, not both, chosen when you take the feat. This allows you to choose both feats twice, once for each ability. The DC to save against Command Undead is equal to 10 + 1/2 your Dread Necromancer level + your Charisma modifier. *Charnel Touch (Su): At 1st level, negative energy flows through a Dread Necromancer's body, concentrating in the hands. At will, but no more than once per round, a Dread Necromancer can make a melee touch attack against a living foe that deals 1d8 points of damage, +1 per two class levels. This touch heals undead creatures, restoring 1 hit point per touch, +1 per two class levels. A Dread Necromancer can use the spectral hand spell to deliver this attack from a distance. *Lich Body: Starting at 2nd level, a Dread Necromancer begins the journey into undeath. The first symptom is the body's increased resilience to physical harm. The Dread Necromancer gains DR 3/bludgeoning and magic. As the Dread Necromancer increases in level, this DR increases in effectiveness, to DR 6 at 6th level, DR 9 at 10th level, DR 12 at 14th level, and DR 15 at 18th level. *Unholy Toughness (Ex): At second level, a Dread Necromancer may substitute their Charisma Modifier for Fortitude Saves, Concentration Checks, and bonus HP per hit die. *Natural AC: At 3rd level by forcibly manipulating their bodies with negative energy and foul rituals, the Dread Necromancer toughens their bodies, resulting in bonuses to their Natural AC. Beginning at level 3 they gain a +1 Bonus to their Natural AC. This bonus increases by +1 at levels 7, 11, 15, and 19. *Channel Negative Energy: When a Dread Necromancer reaches 3rd level, they gain the supernatural ability to channel negative energy like an evil cleric. A Dread Necromancer uses their level -2 as their effective cleric level and can use this ability a number of times per day equal to their Cha modifier. This is a Charisma-based ability. *Paralyzing Touch (Su): At level 3 the Dread Necromancer begins to unlock one of the most feared abilities of the lich; their paralyzing touch. At first this ability is very limited, but as the Dread Necromancer levels up it improves substantially. At level 3 the Dread Necromancer may attempt to Paralyze an enemy as part of their Charnel Touch attack once per day. Should the enemy fail a Fortitude save they become paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. Remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim (see the bestow curse spell description, with a DC equal to the Dread Necromancer's save DC). The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by a Dread Necromancer seems dead, though a DC 20 Perception check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive. At level 11 the Dread Necromancer may use this ability twice per day with an increased duration of 1d4 minutes. At level 16 the Dread Necromancer may use their Paralyzing Touch three times per day with a duration of 1d4 hours. *Mental Bastion: Starting at 4th level, a Dread Necromancer gains a +2 bonus on saving throws made to resist sleep, stunning, paralysis, poison, or disease. This bonus increases to +4 at 14th level. *Advanced Learning: At 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level, a Dread Necromancer can add a new spell to their list. A Dread Necromancer can add a new spell to their list, representing the result of personal study and experimentation. The spell must be a spell from a 9-level spellcasting class of the necromancy school, and of a level no higher than that of the highest-level spell the Dread Necromancer already knows. Once a new spell is selected, it is added to that Dread Necromancer's spell list and can be cast just like any other spell known. If a spell is found on multiple spell lists, use the lowest level (when different) to determine what level the spell is for a Dread Necromancer. *Resist Cold and Electricity(Su): At 4th level, as the Dread Necromancer studies the mystical workings of undead in general and liches in particular, they begin to unlock the secret to their immunity to cold and electricity. This leads them to gain Resistance to these elements (5 at level 4, 10 at level 8, 15 at level 12, and finally 20 at level 16). *Fear Aura (Su): Beginning at 5th level, a Dread Necromancer radiates a 10-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. Enemies in the area must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier) or become shaken. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected by that Dread Necromancer's fear aura for 24 hours. The radius increases at level 10 to 30 ft and again at level 15 to 60 ft. *Scabrous Touch(Su): Starting at 6th level, once per day a dread necromancer can use her charnel touch to inflict disease on a creature she touches. This ability works like the contagion spell (see page 213 of the Player’s Handbook), inflicting the disease of her choice immediately, with no incubation period, unless the target makes a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier). The DC for subsequent saving throws to resist the effects of the disease depends on the disease inflicted; see page 292 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for details. Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until the dread necromancer makes a successful charnel touch attack. The spectral hand spell enables a dread necromancer to deliver a scabrous touch attack from a distance. A dread necromancer can use this ability once per day at 6th level, twice per day at 11th level, and three times per day at 16th level. *Craft Wondrous Item(Ex): At 6th level, the Dread Necromancer gains Craft Wondrous Item as a bonus feat. This allows the Dread Necromancer to begin preparing and investing in the phylactery required to become a lich. *Summon Familiar(Su): At 7th level or anytime thereafter, a Dread Necromancer can obtain a familiar. The familiar she acquires is more powerful than a standard Wizard's or Sorcerer's familiar, but it is unequivocally evil. The player of a Dread Necromancer character chooses one of the following creatures: Imp (devil), Quasit (demon), Vargouille, or Ghostly visage (Fiend Folio, p. 221). A Dread Necromancer's familiar gains the usual familiar benefits with two exceptions. Its type does not change, and it does not gain the exceptional ability to speak with other creatures of its kind. A Dread Necromancer's familiar can use its ability to deliver touch spells such as its master's charnel touch or Paralyzing Touch. The master must use a standard action to imbue the touch attack into her familiar. *Undead Leadership(Ex): At 7th level a Dread Necromancer gains Undead leadership as a bonus feat, even if he/she does not meet the perquisites. The Dread Necromancer may choose a Skeletal Champion as a Cohort. *Corpsecrafter(Ex): At 8th level the Dread Necromancer gains Corpsecrafter as a bonus feat to represent their increasing mastery in undead creation. All undead creatures created by a dread necromancer who has reached 8th level or higher gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity and 2 additional hit points per Hit Die. In addition, when a dread necromancer uses the animate dead spell to create undead, she can control 4 + her Charisma bonus HD worth of undead creatures per class level (rather than the 4 HD per level normally granted by the spell). Similarly, when a dread necromancer casts the control undead spell, the spell targets up to (2 + her Cha bonus) HD/level of undead creatures, rather than the 2 HD/level normally granted by the spell. *Negative Energy Resistance(Su): Beginning at 8th level, a Dread Necromancer gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made to resist negative energy effects, including energy drain, some ability drain, and inflict spells. At 16th level this increases to +6. *Ability Score Bonuses(Ex): As the Dread Necromancer gains further insights into the minds of the undead they obsess over they discover foul methods of increasing their own mental abilities. Beginning at 9th level they gain a bonus of +2 Int, followed by +2 Wis at level 13 and +2 Cha at level 17. *Lich Skills(Ex): Growing ever closer to their goal of undeath, Dread Necromancers gain skill in several vital skills for the lich. At level 9 they gain a +2 to Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth. This bonus increases to +5 at level 13, and +8 at level 17. *Poison Touch(Su): Starting at 9th level once per day a dread necromancer can use her charnel touch to inflict poison on a creature she touches. This ability works like the poison spell, requiring a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Cha modifier). Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until the dread necromancer makes a successful charnel touch attack. The spectral hand spell enables a dread necromancer to deliver a poison touch attack from a distance. A dread necromancer can use this ability once per day at 9th level, twice per day at 14th level, and three times per day at 19th level. *Animated Slaughter (Su): At 10th level, Whenever the dread necromancer slays a living creature with a spell from the necromancy school, it rises up as a skeleton or zombie (dread necromancer’s choice) for a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell that killed the living creature. *Frightening Aura(Su) At 10th level the fear aura becomes frightened. *Necrotic touch(Su): Starting at level 12, when a dread necromancer’s charnel touch kills a creature, he/she may, as a swift action, choose to reanimate the creature as an undead under his/her control, as Animate Dead. He/she may use this ability once per day at level 10, twice per day at level 15, and three times per day at level 20. *Enervating Touch(Su): When a dread necromancer reaches 15th level, she gains the ability to bestow negative levels when she uses her charnel touch attack. Each day, she can bestow a total number of negative levels equal to one-half her class level, but no more than two negative levels with a single touch. The saving throw to remove the negative levels has a DC of 10 + 1/2 her class level + her Charisma modifier. Activating this class feature is a swift action. The effect lasts until she makes a successful charnel touch attack. A dread necromancer can use the spectral hand spell to deliver this attack from a distance. Beginning at 17th level, the number of negative levels a dread necromancer can bestow per day increases to equal her class level. *Phylactery (Ex): At 11th level, a Dread necromancer creates and stores his soul within a Phylactery, and unless it is destroyed, a Dread Necromancer is never slain when his body is destroyed. Instead, the body re-appears 1d10 days later where the phylactery was located with the phylactery around its neck. The Phylactery is a diminutive object with a Hardness equal to the DR Dread Necromancer possess, and has a number of hit points equal to his hit point total. If the Phylactery is destroyed, he are also slain, and goes on to the afterlife he deserves. His Phylactery counts against his 8 magic item limit. Additionally, he gains DR/Bludgeoning and magic equal to half his character level that stacks with any other sources of DR he possess. Phylactery Investment The rise to lichdom is not without its costs. To continue to level up as a Dread Necromancer, the character must invest themselves to the cause, both financially and spiritually. Beginning at level 6 a Dread Necromancer must begin investing in their phylactery. This requires an expenditure of 6,000 GP. Spending this gold is required to level to this point in the class and may not be offset in any way, nor can it pay for enhancements to the phylactery in any manner. This cost is inherent to the class and the advancement of all “Lich Conversion” abilities. This cost is added to at level 11 (18,000 more GP), level 16 (36,000 more GP), and finally at level 20 (60,000 GP). *Aura of Malevolence (Su):At fifteenth level, the fear aura now has the effect of panicked. *Awaken Undead(Sp) at 16th level, 1/day. *Oblivion (Sp): At 17th level, Once per day, the dread necromancer can destroy the soul of a dead creature that she touches; the dead body is allowed a Will save to avoid this fate. A creature with a destroyed soul cannot be brought back from the dead by any means other than the direct intervention of a deity *Vampiric Drain (Su): At 18th level, Once per day, the dread necromancer can make a touch attack that does 2d6 points of ability drain; the dread necromancer chooses which kind of ability drain at the time she uses this ability. The target gets a Fortitude save for half damage. The dread necromancer adds the amount of the ability drained from her target to her own ability score; this temporary increase to her ability score lasts for 1 hour. *Abomination (Su): Really, you should have seen this coming. At nineteenth level, A Dread Necromancer becomes so abhorrent to creation that it partially shunts him from existence. He gain the Incorporeal Subtype. It takes an act of will to manifest physically as a corporeal creature, and requires a move action on his part to do so for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma Modifier. Also, he gains DR/Good equal to half his character level that stacks with any other sources of DR he possess. *Without Number (Ex): At twentieth level, a Dread Necromancer becomes an Aspected Necromantic Intelligence, which radiates out from his body a number of miles equal to his Charisma Modifier. You may change his Aspect as an Immediate Action to any Undead whose CR is equal to his character level or less; and no, you can’t aspect Slay Mates. He may see and hear as if he were standing where any undead created by the Intelligence is (using his spot and listen modifiers, as well as any perceptive abilities he possess). The Dread Necromancer’s Phylactery is considered the Focus of the Necromantic Intelligence. *When a Dread Necromancer attains 20th level, she undergoes a hideous transformation and becomes a lich. See below. A dread necromancer who is not humanoid does not gain this class feature Lich Template: At level 20 the Dread Necromancer commits themselves fully to undeath, and in a vile ritual they become a lich. All of the abilities of the template are applied to the character, and all “Lich Conversion” abilities are assimilated into the template. Rejuvenation (Su): When a lich is destroyed, its phylactery (which is generally hidden by the lich in a safe place far from where it chooses to dwell) immediately begins to rebuild the undead spellcaster's body nearby. This process takes 1d10 days—if the body is destroyed before that time passes, the phylactery merely starts the process anew. After this time passes, the lich wakens fully healed (albeit without any gear it left behind on its old body), usually with a burning need for revenge against those who previously destroyed it. From levels 1-19 these abilities function as extraordinary or supernatural abilities provided by the Dread Necromancer class. At level 20, when the Dread Necromancer completes their ascension to lichdom, all of these abilities become racial abilities and are assimilated into the lich template. As such, a level 20 Dread Necromancer is a lich with all of the abilities found under the “Special” column and the spellcasting gained from leveling in the class and none of the (redundant) abilities found in the “Lich Conversion” column of the class table. Spell List *0 Level (Cantrips): arcane mark, bleed, disrupt undead, detect magic, touch of fatigue, ghost sound, Prestidigitation, ray of decay** *1st Level: Bane, Bestow wound*, cause fear, chill touch, Deathwatch, detect undead, Doom, Hide from undead, inflict light wounds, Reaving aura, Sculpt corpse, ray of enfeeblement, summon undead I, Undetectable alignment *2nd Level:blindness/deafness, command undead, Darkness, Death knell, Desecrate, False life, Gentle repose, Ghoul glyph, ghoul touch, inflict moderate wounds, Scare, Spectral hand, Summon swarm, summon undead II, *3rd Level: animate dead, Crushing despair, Halt undead, Incorporeal enhancement, inflict serious wounds, magic circle vs alignment, Ray of exhaustion, speak with dead, summon undead III, Vampiric touch, Undead lieutenant, Undead torch *4th Level:Bestow curse, Burning blood, contagion, Death ward, dispel magic, Enervation, black tentacles, fear, giant vermin, inflict critical wounds, Phantasmal killer, Poison, summon monster IV *5th Level: Blight, Cloudkill, Fire in the blood*, greater dispel magic, Insect plague, lesser planar binding, magic jar, Miasma of entropy mass inflict light wounds, nightmare, Oath of blood*, Slay living, Spiritwall, summon undead V, Undeath to death, unhallow, waves of fatigue *6th Level: Acid fog, Aura of terror, Awaken undead, Circle of death, create undead, Eyebite, geas/quest, harm, mass cognation, mass inflict moderate wounds, Revive undead, undead planar binding, waves of exhaustion *7th Level: Avasculate, Control undead, Destruction, finger of death, greater harm*, mass inflict serious wounds, Song of discord, Vile death* *8th Level: Mass avasculate, Create greater undead, Horrid wilting, Ghostform, Mass inflict critical wounds, Skeletal gaurd, Symbol of death *9th Level: Energy drain, Imprison soul*, Mass harm*, Plague of undead*, Wail of the banshee Category:Classes Category:Dread necromancers